NSFAS Chair Karen Stander Resigns Amid Allegations Of Racism, Bullying And Safety Threats

The abrupt resignation of Karen Stander, chairperson of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) board, has shocked everyone in South Africa’s higher education sector.

In her resignation letter, Stander raised serious concerns about bullying, intimidation, racism, and threats to her personal safety.

Wayne Duvenage, CEO of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), said NSFAS still faced deep-rooted issues tied to previous administrations.

“Much needs to be done to address the governance and performance issues at NSFAS, including cleaning up past contracts entered into by the previous administration, which got NSFAS into the mess it is in now,” Duvenage said.

Governance Crisis Deepens at NSFAS

Duvenage noted that while Minister of Higher Education Buti Manamela could not compel Stander to remain in her role, she might have stayed “if the minister really wants her to and if she is convinced he will have her back when it comes to what she needs to do to address the fallout developing at NSFAS.”

He added that the board had become deeply divided, losing capable members who shared Stander’s values of good governance and accountability.

“This makes her job more difficult, because there are a number of board members who pay less attention to performance measurements, governance and accountability than they ought to.

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“If she does not have 100% support of the new minister, the CEO and board members, then her job will be almost untenable,” he explained.

Duvenage also criticised acting CEO Waseem Carrim, saying, “We believe he doesn’t respect the chair. For this reason, his contract should be terminated.” He further accused the minister of missing an opportunity to overhaul the higher education system.

“We see this also in the Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas), where he is employing many of the old guard and their boards, who have been remiss in their roles to hold the executive managers to account, thereby enabling poor governance and the continuation of the rot and maladministration.”

Calls for Accountability and Renewal

Benjamin Rapanyane, senior political lecturer at North-West University, said Stander’s resignation pointed to “deeper structural problems” at NSFAS.

“Leaders must sometimes make way for renewal when institutional trust and collaboration break down,” he said. “If she couldn’t solve them, these problems may need a new leader.”

Delmaine Christians, the Democratic Alliance’s spokesperson on education, urged Parliament’s portfolio committee to demand answers from Manamela regarding Stander’s allegations.

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